A San Francisco courthouse on Friday released camera footage of police uniforms showing the frantic seconds when a An intruder with a hammer attacked 82yearold Paul Pelosihusband of the Democrats Nancy Pelosiin the lobby of the couple’s home in the early hours of October 28, 2022.
Video of the attack captures the moments as officers approached the home, entered, and the attacker and Paul Pelosi stood quietly, each with their hands on a large hammer. After police demanded that they drop it, the intruder took control of the hammer, raised it above his head and struck Pelosis in the skull, although the impact itself happened offcamera. Pelosi appears motionless from the side as officers try to control the attacker.
Paul Pelosi spent six days in a San Francisco hospital undergoing surgery for a fractured skull.
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Footage from camera video of a San Francisco police officer’s uniform shows Paul Pelosi, right, fighting with his attacker for control of a hammer Photo: San Francisco Police Department via AP 01/27/2023
The suspect, David DePape, faces numerous criminal charges in state courts, including attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He also faces federal charges for attempted kidnapping of a federal officer and assaulting a family member of a federal officer. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment. He has pleaded not guilty and the next hearing will be on February 23 when a trial date is set.
Judge Stephen M. Murphy, who is presiding over DePape’s criminal case, ordered the evidence released after a media consortium petitioned the court to release it to the public. The judge did so over objections from both the prosecution and the defense. The video was reproduced by several American communications media such as the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper of San Francisco.
DePape, who was 42 at the time of his arrest, told detectives he was on a mission to apprehend and question Nancy Pelosi and that he “would break her kneecaps if she lied to him.” DePape confronted Paul Pelosi in his bedroom, repeatedly shouting, “Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?” a scream reminiscent of the screams of some protesters as they marched into the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Nancy Pelosi was in Washington at the time of the attack. As a senior Democratic congresswoman who has openly clashed with Republican figures, including former President Donald Trump, she has long been the target of attacks from the right. Some conservative figures scoffed at the beatings against her husband that took place in her final year as Speaker of the House, when she was third in the line of presidential succession.
The attack, which came 11 days before the midterm elections, exposed security flaws for congressmen, fueled fears of politically motivated violence, and spawned numerous conspiracy theories and rumors. Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives in the November election, and Pelosi resigned as Speaker of the House and from her leadership role in the Democratic Party.